Money

This page contains some of the work that I have done in relation to money.

• A detailed study with Mick Walsh of how people on welfare benefits struggle to furnish their homes after an extended hospital stay was published way back in 1988 by the Benefits Research Unit – see it here to find out if much has changed.

• In response, I developed a network of supported workshops where people with mental health issues generated profit from their activities and shared out the proceeds. See a video clip here or read more about it in my 1990 article in Social Work Today.

• The practical business of generating income demanded a range of solutions to the challenges of managing personal and group-owned funds within a statutory organisation. It also highlighted the empowerment issues that always lie behind such literal approaches to handing over power to people who receive services. Read about this issue here.

• Getting money into people’s hands was one step forward, but it came to light that some people had difficulties obtaining a bank account. Read about it here.

• Some sheltered workshops continued to make token ‘incentive’ payments to participants, and I worked with colleagues to challenge these arrangements – click here to read the review.

• People who get involved in research as participants or advisers sometimes receive payment for their inconvenience. I have drafted a technical paper here and run a survey to find out more about the procedural and ethical issues involved in this complex topic. The survey is reported here.

• Finally, I’d like to examine whether ‘Experience Pays’ by exploring the extent to which people turn their lived experience of using health or social care services into cash through expert consultancy and teaching, writing and obtaining paid work. Can you live on what you make?